Machines of War

Documentary

Fremantle Video Enterprises

R4 DVD

This DVD has been around since 2006, apparently as a TV series, but this is the first time I have seen it on DVD. Its three episodes are detailed summaries of specific military weapons – the tank, the machine gun and, surprisingly, the cruise missile. I say “surprisingly” because it is a largely ignored but critical modern weapon whose origins apparently go back to World War 1. We even get an explanation of the science needed to provide a strong enough propellant for the missiles and the development of the gyroscope to control the weapon.

Each weapon is taken all the way from the first ideas to the current incarnation. The machine gun episode has footage of the famous Gatling gun in action with a reenactment group. I have never seen anything as detailed as this. It also discusses the need to change tactics to effectively use this new weapon on the battlefield.

The discussion on tanks is particularly fascinating as it demonstrates the effect of various shaped charges and the principles of tank armour. Using melons to represent human bodies shows the true horror of what happens when a projectile hits a tank. As well as modern film of each weapon every episode is accompanied by simple drawings showing the principles of operation. These drawings make it easy to study and understand the basic workings.

There are some things I would like to have seen included. The episodes tend to be rather American-centric, so important weapons like the Bren Gun have been left out (in fact World War II seems not to have happened except in the tank war). I guess this is a limitation in the made-for-TV format where the length of each episode is critical.

The series is a worthwhile addition to the library of any warfare student. It is comprehensive, detailed and contains a lot of valuable ideas and information. Dare I hope we might see the series added to in the future?

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